(Newser)
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The descendants of a dynasty that ruled Russia for 600 years are suing for ownership of the Kremlin, AOL News reports. The claim is being made by Valery Kubarev, a man who can trace his family back to the Rurik dynasty, and is in fact its designated "Grand Prince of All Russia." The actual Russian government is treating the claim surprisingly seriously—the high court has agreed to hear the case and granted Kubarev access to architectural information on the complex.

Legend has it that Rurik was one of several 9th-century Viking leaders contracted to rule chaotic tribes in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Kubarev claims that Rurik or his immediate descendants had the Kremlin built. A lawyer for the Russian Property Management agency noted that there are no explicit property rights for the Kremlin on file—just a presidential decree claiming the Kremlin as his residence. "I could write my own decree, too," Kubarev said. Click here for more on the odd case.